Bring personalization to the claims process through automation

A Risk & Insurance article recently stated that the souls of employees everywhere are saying, “Treat me like a human.” This applies to your claimants, as well. You’ve likely already considered many of the ways you can provide them better service, but you may have yet to tap into one of the keys to humanizing the claims process: automation.

The word is everywhere, as pervasive as the technology it’s infiltrating. Automation can bring to mind processes that are cold, robotic, and removed. So, considering software with automation functionalities may raise some hesitations. Will automation put distance between us and our clients? Will processes become mechanical and impersonal? How will this affect our service reputation and brand?

As the article Automation and AI: Miracle Tool or Hostile Takeover points out, automation “is neither the one answer nor a dangerous technology to be shunned. It’s another tool available to your organization, and every tool must be used effectively and for the right problem.”

Automation, when done properly, can bring more heart and soul into the work you do. Many manual processes consist of time-sucking drudgery. They leave you vulnerable to error and service headaches. They can become ingrained within your organization, forcing you to treat every claim or client the exact same way, despite variables, because deviating requires even more work. By using automation strategically, you’ll be able to deliver service to your claimants that’s more personal than ever. With a risk management information system (RMIS) that includes built-in automation, you can make humanizing the claims process a reality.

More personalized service

Implementing automation and walking away doesn’t make for better service. Claimants are asking to be treated like humans, and something akin to an automated voice saying “your call is important to us” has the opposite effect. Smartly implemented automation, on the other hand, puts processes in motion that keep the right people involved and directly benefit claimants.

RMIS automation takes over tasks previously handled manually, such as filing or emailing reports, reducing the potential for human error. It also streamlines communication by sending alerts, tasks, or messages to key parties, improving communication and creating greater organizational competency. This means everyone is aware of their own roles and those of their colleagues, creating both individual accountability and a greater sense of ownership over the broader claims process. With your team’s processes and roles in sync, additional sets of eyes can monitor claims activity to avoid potential trouble spots. This also minimizes the need for asking claimants follow-up questions and making them repeat their answers—a source of irritation for those already in the middle of a stressful situation.

Another customer-friendly key to automation lies in exception-based reporting. A CIO Review article describes exception-based reporting as an automated system that detects abnormal conditions, recommends a series of steps to correct or address those conditions, and sends notifications to the appropriate parties to take action.

Origami Risk addresses outlying claims through “event-based triggers.” Once any object in the system hits certain conditions (predetermined by your organization as problematic), Origami automatically sends notifications, assigns tasks, or generates reports to make sure any claim falling outside the pre-set parameters gets the extra attention it warrants. This happens instantly, every time, meaning no claim—and more importantly, no claimant—gets overlooked. Your claimants won’t need to follow up, chase down answers, or prompt next steps, eliminating unnecessary hassle and stress.

More time for direct customer interaction

Automation has a reputation for taking over human jobs. There is some validity to this fear—after all, there’s no getting around the fact that automation eliminates manual work. But the reality is more complex than that. In some industries, automation results in fewer employees. In many others, it contributes to better employees. As automation takes over more repetitive, administrative tasks, employees are freed up to do the work they were actually hired to do.

“Many major companies predict that automation will lead to big workforce reductions,” says Don Anderson in Automation: A strategic approach to earning employee trust and buy-in. “People assume that they’ll be replaced by robots roaming the office hallways. In reality, [automation] provides organizations the opportunity to re-focus their workforce on higher-valued skills, like better customer service, building stronger data analysis capabilities and identifying new revenue streams and products. Automation is a positive opportunity for the company and employee alike.” In short, automation can unlock the full value and potential of your organization’s staff.

Automation makes a clear difference in time savings within claims management, too. As we outlined in TPA Best Practices #1 – The power of automation, a 2016 workers’ compensation benchmark study “estimates that the average adjuster has 130 open cases, with an average of 20 attachments per case, many of which are sent via email. If it takes an adjuster 1 minute to open the email, download the attachment, and then upload it into the case file, it would take one full week simply to manage those documents. With Origami Risk, this process takes seconds.”

A full week’s worth of time means an abundance of opportunity to, among other things, devote personalized time to claimants. Sitting down with claimants in person or speaking with them on the phone allows you to understand their unique circumstances and needs. This not only helps you better serve claimants, but also makes them feel valued. With Intelligent Tools on the Rise, How Do Brands Stay Human points out that organizations often mistakenly “think machines can entirely replace humans while consumers are not ready to make that leap.” Claimants still want to hear from you. With automation able to handle many of the necessary clerical tasks that apply to all claims, you’re freed up to better understand what sets each one—and each claimant—apart. This is how a claimant stops being a number and becomes a person.

Origami Risk’s automation humanizes the claims process

Origami Risk’s integrated RMIS delivers automation tools that can help bring more personalization to the claims process. By viewing automation as a process improver, rather than a set-it-and-forget-it functionality solely for cutting time, you’ll be better able to build best-practice customer service. Automation allows users to stay updated on progress, preventing unnecessary and repetitive questions, ensuring accountability, and eliminating delays. Claimants benefit as well. Insight into the status of their claim delivers reassurance that everything’s on track. With these updates taken care of automatically through Origami, you’ll have a more time to devote to one-on-one time with your claimants. This, perhaps more than anything else, gives claimants the human treatment they crave.